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Selling stuff the Simplifieds way

So a month ago, I got in on a super-sekrit website beta program. It was called Project Greenfields, and proved an ambitious undertaking to create a buy/sell site to rival the likes of eBay and the current ruling site – Mudah.com.my.

Well, the embargo is off and I can now talk my mouth off about MySimplifieds.com and the beta program. It’s definitely something that could be a candidate for next year’s Technology Campaign of the year, just saying.

It was ambitious – take a pool of bloggers, consummate online sellers and give them carte blanche to pick apart a website and say what makes it tick. Online networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter were used to get feedback on the site, but it was probably the Facebook group that got the most participation.

There were plenty of posts with suggestions for tweaks as well as new features. What amused me was the general consensus that the original logo just didn’t cut it, which led the developers back to the drawing board. We beta testers then got to vote for our favourite – which of course is now prominently used on the site.

And the result? A cleaner, more user-friendly site that I find far more intuitive than what the current competition has to offer. Personalised profiles, Facebook and favourites options are neat, but right now I’m happiest with the site’s stability and decent loading times. My experience with Mudah.com.my wasn’t exactly awesome, to tell you the truth. Selling stuff on Lowyat.net was far easier than trying to navigate the headache which is Mudah.

It was a unique experiment which was fun for the participants involved, giving us plenty of incentive to say our piece on what would make MySimplifieds.com an effective online marketplace.

Moral of the story:

1. Extensive user testing is always the way to go. Otherwise, just do it the lazy Google way and just slap ‘Beta’ on it.

2. Beer smoothens all things.

3. Text 100 still wins the Most Able To Connect With Bloggers without sounding like jackasses Award.

There’s a contest running for best/most creative Classifieds Ad. Unfortunately, I have nothing left to sell after divesting most of my crap. But hey, perhaps you could win yourself a snazzy new phone or PSP or one of those delectable goodies up for grabs.

Of course, right now I’m more distracted by the pre-order of the Nokia 5800. Yes, Nokia is finally having pre-orders for phones online in Malaysia. On MySimplifieds.com!

If I could marry a phone, I’d be Mrs.Nokia Music Xpress 5800. Yes, I am that besotted with it.

So if you have anything to sell or are looking for bargain gifts for the coming Christmas celebration, then head on over to MySimplifieds.com. And order me the damn phone while you’re at it.